Leaders gather to discuss 'DELIVER' Act

Fri, 04/29/2016 - 2:29pm

Vinsen Faris, representing Meals-on-Wheels of Johnson and Ellis Counties, and Carla Jutson, with Meals-on-Wheels of Tarrant County, participated in a panel discussion Wednesday of the potential benefits that could be realized through the DELIVER Act.

The bill has been introduced by Congressmen Joe Barton, R-Ennis, and John Lewis, D-Atlanta, Georgia, to allow volunteers using their personal vehicles to deliver meals to homebound to deduct the full, standard business rate for mileage on their tax returns.

Joining Faris and Jutson on the panel were Ellie Hollander, Meals on Wheels America president and CEO; Bob Herbolsheimer, Meals on Wheels America chief development officer; Timothy Stewart, past president of Meals on Wheels Texas; and Greg Pittman, president of Meals on Wheels Texas.

In Tarrant County, volunteers deliver about one million meals annually, with an additional 750,000 clients anticipated within the next 15 years. In Ellis and Johnson County, about 2,400 homebound residents are served daily.